Thoughts Before Death
by Teary Angel L2
Summary: Toph has been captured. These are her thoughts before death. IN NO WAY DOES THIS INVIOLVE CHARACTER DEATH! Oneshot. Review please.


**A/N: Guess what? I saved up all my money for a year, and I just bought the rights to **_**Avatar: The Last Airbender. **_**Whoo! Go me! Seriously, though, I didn't.**

It's strange how everything that ever happened to you, or didn't happen to you, seems so much more significant when you're about to die. You always wish you had seen that, or done this. At least, that's what you always _hear_ from people on their deathbed. But that's not what I'm thinking.

We had been fighting for two full, long weeks. Sure, the war had been going on for much longer than that, but nobody had fought back. Not Earthbenders nor Waterbenders. Before, everybody had just let the Fire Nation take over. All that changed when Aang came back, though. Now the nations were fighting back. My nation, Katara's and Sokka's nation... We were all battling, while Aang was going into the Avatar State so he could defeat the Fire Nation in a few minutes, during the eclipse.

I sent some Firebenders flying with some Earthbending. Then I sent a boulder at a few more. Unfortunately, I failed to notice that some are sneaking up on me from behind. I'd been too caught up in my bending.

One grabbed me, so another can tie feet together, and tie my hands behind my back. I couldn't bend. I was basically helpless.

They took me to the Fire Nation camp, where I was put into a tent. For some reason, fear hadn't registered to me. I wasn't afraid of anything that had happened, or would happen. My mind wasn't filled with "what if"s or "I wish"es. Just didn't occur to me. Two guards watched over me for about fifteen minutes, then Azula came in.

"Ah," she drawled menacingly. "I remember you. You're that little blind Earthbender girl. The one that taught the Avatar."

"Damn right I am!" I screamed. "Now let me go, you bitch!"

"Oh, tut, tut. Such a temper." She was silent for a few seconds, in which I was sure I heard some metal scraping against a casing of some type, possibly leather.

She stepped closer, and I tensed. Natural reflex. She kneeled beside me, then grabbed my hair and jerked my head back. I could hear her deep, calm breathing. Like she wasn't nervous about any of this at all. Then she laughed. "Too bad for you, I have a temper also."

She tightened her grip on my hair, pulling my head back even further, if possible. "You know," she whispered ,"I could just burn you to death. Or I could hold you hostage, starving you."

She stopped again. "Or... I could just... use this." She placed a cool blade against my neck. Fear finally came to me, and I took a quick, sharp breath. This is where we started. Where I'm thinking about stuff just before I die. Amazingly, ironically, the only think I can think of is "Sokka really is a stupid idiot... But I love him."

Azula continues. "It should make it enjoyable for the both of us. I would have the pleasure of killing you, and you would have the wonderful sensations of the cool knife, pain, and the warmth of your blood as it flows down out of your jugular."

"Hmm... You really are a bitch, aren't you?" My voice sounds strained from the strange angle of my head. Suddenly, something hits her in her side, knocking her over. The knife drags across my throat, but it's not very deep. Just a little scratch.

Someone's here. They were the ones to attack her. "Toph!" They're yelling at me. A yell I recognize.

"S-Sokka?" I feel weak and disoriented all of a sudden. I feel like I did when I was little, and I would spin around, before falling from dizziness. I also feel like I'm falling asleep. Then, I do.

When I wake up, I'm in a big, warm, comfortable bed. A lot of people are around me, whispering. I open my eyes, then sit up.

"Toph!" Sokka is the first to notice that I'm awake. He practically runs over and hugs me.

I grumble, trying (but not very hard) to push him away. "What happened?" I ask before instinctively reaching up to the scratch.

"Don't worry about that. I healed it." It's Katara. She and Aang are coming over to the bed. I get smothered with hugs. Lucky, lucky me.

"Oh... How long have I been out? And why am I here?"

Sokka sighs. "You've been out for about four hours. After I heroically saved you from Azula by killing her, I brought you here. It was the closest non-ruined house to where we were. The owners didn't mind either. We're all war heroes so, yeah."

"Hmm..." I'm thinking about what I was while Azula was holding that blade to my throat. "Hey... can you two leave me and Sokka alone for a minute?" Amazingly, I'm not surprised that he killed her. I would have, too.

Katara and Aang leave. Sokka just sits there. I'm surprised he's not firing off questions at me.

I sigh, then start. "Sokka, I was totally convinced that I was gonna die there. Thanks."

"No problem. You woulda done the same."

"Yeah, I would have. But I wanna tell you what I was thinking about."

"'Kay, what?"

"I- I was thinking about... you." He's silent. "About how much of an idiot you are..."

"Did you really have to tell me this?"

I wave away his comment. "I was thinking about that... And about how much I love you anyway."

He's still silent. Then, he leans over me, and kisses me. Certainly not how I pictured my first kiss, but, hey, it works. Once he pulls back, I gulp. I had been so nervous about telling him that.

He chuckles. "I love you, too, Toph." And he hugs me.

**A/n: Yeah, lame ending, blah blah blah. Stayed up late writing it, so I'm kinda proud how it turned out. My last day of school is tomorrow, so I'm happy.**

**Bye!**

**L2**


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